By Alisandra Rizzolo / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Most people are familiar with the five “W’s”: who, what, when, where and why. While learned early on, these questions are typically applied to journalism or research to help uncover the most robust and accurate information. But have you considered using them to evaluate your first, or next, equipment service provider? Because equipment service providers have different offerings, healthcare facilities can use the five “W’s” as a tool for selecting an equipment service provider that best fits their needs. 

To find a trusted partner, you will first want to evaluate your facility’s equipment service needs, including: 

• Who is impacted when instruments and equipment aren’t working?

• What type of medical equipment needs the most repairs and service?

• When does having unusable equipment affect your ability to run at full capacity?

• Where do you currently send instruments and equipment for maintenance?

• Why settle for unusable equipment that can result in costly downtime and patient care delays?

Once you have answered these questions, then turn the spotlight on potential equipment service providers and apply the five “W’s” to determine if what they offer is right for your facility. Here’s how:

What & Why?

“What benefits can equipment service providers offer and why should we partner with one?”

Hospitals can better achieve their goal of providing quality care while controlling costs by ensuring equipment is working according to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards. When hospitals partner with an equipment service provider they are able to increase uptime, maximize equipment life and take equipment performance burden off the care provider’s plate so the care provider can focus on patient care delivery. Let’s dive into a few of the specific ways partnering with an equipment service provider can bring value to your facility. 

• Increase Uptime: A good service provider can quickly repair equipment and instruments to help improve uptime. When a repair might take longer or equipment needs to be sent offsite, partnering with a service provider that offers options for loaner equipment allows hospitals to continue operating at normal capacity, further improving uptime. In fact, hospitals who have worked with an equipment service program have reduced their downtime by 32 percent, according to a 2011 Gallup survey conducted by Stryker ProCare. 

• Capitalize on Investments: Equipment purchases are one of the largest expenses in hospitals. Reevaluating purchasing decisions to look beyond the simple line item and consider the total cost of ownership can help hospitals gain control of costs. Total cost of ownership includes looking at the cost of implementing and maintaining, as well as disposing of equipment that has run its full life-cycle, such as reprocessing, donating or discarding equipment. Additionally, choosing to repair rather than replace can often save a facility thousands of dollars. 

• Provide Staff Confidence: Beyond equipment maintenance, hospitals can further benefit from partnering with a provider who offers regularly scheduled inspections and preventative maintenance. This service ensures that equipment is routinely checked to determine that it is operating according to the OEM standards. When staff members know that their equipment has been inspected by a qualified repair specialist, they can focus their attention on the task at hand and not worry that the equipment might malfunction or break during an important procedure. 

Who?

“Can anyone repair my equipment?”

Most hospital equipment and instruments come in direct contact with patients, so who you trust with your repairs is critical. Healthcare facilities should look for service providers who value education and require their staff to undergo extensive training and earn specialized certifications. Equipment service providers who are trained by OEMs are specifically skilled to repair the brand of equipment, and also have access to OEM parts, programs and quality procedures that can help reduce the chance that the equipment will need to be re-repaired. A high-level of education and training with specific equipment also allows OEM repair specialists to help hospitals maximize the equipment’s life as they can share additional insights on preventative maintenance schedules, proper cleaning and storage. It is also important to find a repair provider who can accurately document repairs. Providing detailed repair records to the Joint Commission can support your facility in maintaining compliance with CMS guidelines. 

When & Where?

“When equipment isn't working, how quickly can it get fixed?”

When a piece of equipment is in need of repair, time is of the essence to get it working again, as it’s costly to have unusable equipment impacting patient care. Make it a priority to find an equipment service provider who has the capacity to address your level of equipment needs, has expertise in the equipment used at your facility and provides timely access to service. For example, some providers offer a 24/7 trouble-shooting hotline that can help determine the level of repair needed. Others offer onsite support and can quickly address problems, especially for larger equipment such as hospitals beds, booms and lights that must be repaired on location. You may also want to consider a service provider who can offer loaner equipment while repairing an item, in order to keep your facility running at full capacity. 

Having working, quality equipment is important to help take control of costs and ensure you’re providing the highest quality of patient care. To find the right service provider, seek one who can serve as a trusted advisor. To help your facility uncover the most accurate information when selecting your next equipment service provider, don’t forget to ask the important questions: “who, what, when, where and why?”  

Alisandra Rizzolo is the vice president and general manager of Customer Care, Stryker Instruments Division.